Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes

These potatoes are easy and DELICIOUS!!!  It's the only way I will make them now!

Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes (I have used Yukon Gold and regular both with great results)
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Slice them to about 1/8 inch thick. Spray or butter your slow cooker to prevent potatoes from sticking to the sides.  Add one layer of potatoes to the slow cooker and season them.  Continue layering and seasoning until you have used all the potato slices. (I vary the seasoning each layer.  Some layers I just use salt and pepper, some I add onion powder and some I use a favorite seasoning blend, 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's). When all the potatoes are in the pot, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble up, then cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until thickened.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Pour cheese mixture over the top of the potatoes, no need to stir the potatoes.  Place 2 paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put the slow cooker lid over the paper towels. Turn the pot on high and leave it for an hour. You can leave it on high for two more hours or turn it to low for 3-4 hours.

Pambazos

The past month or two every time Colby is asked what his current favorite meal is his answer is always the same - pambazos.  Since I am still making Mexican food every Monday in honor of his mission to Mexico, I decided I would try to make them!  They were easy and DELICIOUS!!!

Pambazos

Ingredients:
15 dried guajillo chiles
1 clove garlic
1⁄2 small white onion, roughly chopped
2 1⁄4 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1⁄2 cup canola oil
1 1⁄4 lb. fresh chorizo, casings removed
6 soft pambazos, teleras  or kaiser rolls, split
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup grated queso Oaxaca or mozzarella
Cotija cheese for the top
Avocado, onion and tomato for garnish

Directions:
Heat a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chiles, and cook, turning once, until toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer all chiles to a large bowl; pour over 4 cups boiling water, and let sit until chiles are soft, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 1⁄4 cups soaking liquid, and remove stems and seeds from chiles. Transfer chiles and reserved soaking liquid to a blender along with garlic and onion; purée until very smooth, at least 2 minutes. Pour sauce into a bowl; set aside.
Bring a 4-qt. saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat; add potatoes, and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat; add chorizo, and cook, stirring to break up into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook until potatoes are very tender, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Using your fingers, scoop out and discard the insides of rolls, leaving a 1⁄2"-thick shell. Place about 1 cup potato-chorizo mixture on roll bottoms, and cover with tops; press sandwiches lightly to flatten and compact filling. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Submerge two  sandwiches in chile sauce until thoroughly soaked, at least 10 seconds; place in skillet, and cook, pressing constantly with a metal spatula to flatten and flipping once, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; repeat with remaining oil, sandwiches, and sauce. Open
sandwiches and divide lettuce, and cheese among sandwiches; add avocado, onion or tomato if desired. Close sandwiches again and serve warm.